Capitalizing on her viral moment, Haliey Welch, better known as the “Hawk Tuah Girl,” has recently made several public appearances at sporting events.
Perhaps none of her public appearances have received more attention than throwing out the first pitch ahead of last Thursday’s matchup between the New York Mets and the Oakland Athletics.
For the younger generation, having Welch be featured ahead of the game is seemingly a smart play to garner interest around the game. But for baseball purists, there has been plenty of pushback.
As you may imagine, Chris “Mad Dog” Russo is among those quite critical of this decision and he ranted about Welch and the Mets on Mad Dog Unleashed on Monday.
“We’re gonna throw in a girl there that went on a YouTube thing and magazines telling you how to do a sexual function? Really, that’s what we’re gonna do?” Russo asked while arguing with a caller. “On camp day on a day game in Shea Stadium… She wouldn’t know Tommie Agee from Jerry Koosman. Yeah, we’re gonna let her throw out the first pitch.
“Nobody is gonna watch the Mets and the A’s because she is throwing out the first pitch. This idea that she’s gonna bring new eyeballs to (television) sets… what non-baseball fan is gonna tune in after she throws the pitch to watch the A’s and the Mets on a Thursday day in August? They’re not doing that. So the idea that somehow someway you expose your team to a new audience is a bunch of nonsense. If you’re in Nashville, Tennessee, or if you’re a country star and you haven’t caught the baseball bug yet, you’re not gonna catch it because she throws out the first pitch. With a team that’s 30 under .500 in Oakland and a team that’s .500 when you’re the Mets. That’s not gonna happen.”
Only Chris Russo could find a way to put “Hawk Tuah Girl” and 1960s Mets star Tommie Agee in a sentence together.
In a sense, Russo is correct in his assessment. Bringing Welch out to throw out the first pitch won’t bring very many viewers who’ll stick around for the rest of the game.
However, featuring her all over the team’s social media account probably provided value considering how popular she is at the moment.
Regardless, it’s clear that we shouldn’t expect to hear “Hawk Tuah Girl” on Russo’s radio show anytime soon.